An 86-year-old sailor and his dog have been rescued from a disabled sailboat drifting hundreds of miles off California, after more than two months without contact.
The man had been sailing from Astoria, Oregon, to Pago Pago in American Samoa. The Coast Guard said it lost contact with him on August 20. He was reported overdue on October 24, prompting a search for him and his boat, the Willow Wind.
Three days later, the Coast Guard received an emergency beacon signal from the sailboat. Aircraft and a cutter were sent to search, and nearby vessels were asked to help. A Coast Guard aircrew spotted the Willow Wind that evening, about 460 miles off San Diego.
The commercial vessel Grand Orion reached the sailboat early the next morning. Conditions at sea were too rough for an immediate rescue, but later that day its crew safely brought the man and his dog aboard. The Willow Wind, which had damaged sails, was left drifting.
The next morning, a Coast Guard helicopter crew picked them up from the Grand Orion, about 170 miles west of Ventura, California. They were flown to San Diego, where the man was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital for evaluation. The Coast Guard did not release details about his condition.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen thanked the merchant mariners and Coast Guard crews involved, saying their coordinated efforts brought the search to a successful end. He also urged sailors to carry emergency communication equipment and leave a float plan with someone on shore.
